An Open Bottle

Melanie Colburn | August 5, 2005

Of all the bright ideas that spring to mind when sitting up late and talking with your friends in college, this is an rare gem: A group of Danish students at Information Technology University in Copenhagen have created an open-source beer under a Creative Commons License called Vores Øl, or Our Beer:

Version 1.0 is a medium strong beer (6% vol) with a deep golden red color and an original but familiar taste.

So why beer? Aside from aspirations of becoming the Linux of Beers (eat your heart out Budweiser), they like the twist it gives to this famous definition of Free Software:

"Free software" is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of "free" as in "free speech," not as in "free beer."

Ah, but does it hit the spot? Wait for the CC-license people's DIY review, or brew your own.

Link via Unshackling Isaac Newton.

Comments

|8.5.05 @ 4:56PM|#

I think version 2.0 needs to hit IPA level, in bitternes and ABV%. I'll open that source for sure.

|8.5.05 @ 5:11PM|#

I'll drink to that.

|8.5.05 @ 7:36PM|#

Clearly, my computer needs a BrewJet "printer".

|8.5.05 @ 8:15PM|#

"Ah, but does it hit the spot? Wait for the CC-license people's DIY review, or brew your own."

The world doesn't need a 5 cent cigar, it needs an open spot.

After satisfactorily engaging an open spot, I'd be willing to pay the taxes, titles, licenses and fees on any cigarette, cigar or brewski.

|8.5.05 @ 8:51PM|#

Eh...with all due respect, this isn't even a very good gimmick. There are already a ton of beer recipes which are in the public domain, including a whole bunch which closely replicate existing commercial brews. There's even already Open Cola, too. The recipe looks pretty decent (except for the guarana, maybe), although I, as an uneddicated Amurikan, am more used to thinking about my hops in ounces than grams.

|8.5.05 @ 8:55PM|#

Ack, wait a minute - just as I was hitting "submit", I knew what was bothering me. What yeast are they using?! The yeast makes a huge difference! The recipe says "lager" to me, although it could be an ale, too.

|8.5.05 @ 9:18PM|#

Within that open source code is a nasty trojan horse called Hangover.v.1.

|8.5.05 @ 10:54PM|#

JD,
It's an interesting question as to the yeast. They claim "it is based on classic ale brewing traditions" so one would assume it uses a top fermenting yeast. I wonder if a nice braggot mead is forthcoming. Heck, I want to see the whole PIM suite (personal intoxication manager.)

|8.8.05 @ 10:49AM|#

Given the fact that it will probably be as undrinkable as any other home brew out there ("Hey, want to taste some of my asparagus beer?" No, Thanks.) I don't think the boys at AB have that much to worry about.

drf|8.8.05 @ 11:54AM|#

hva' fan'en?

(this didn't go through the first time)

sk�l,
drf

drf|8.8.05 @ 12:00PM|#

fa'n'en's osse. can't post right now.

just wanted to comment on a danish-type site (ha ha).

"cheese danish. no offense".

sk�l,
drf

Andrew Ian Dodge|8.9.05 @ 10:27AM|#

Lol, Don you obviously have hung around with crap home beer makers. I have tasted many a good pint of home brewed ale in my time so of which was made by my colleagues and I at UMaine.

AB probably has nothing to worry about...probably cause what they make in no way resembles beer (as beer is ale not lager) in any sense. Alcoholic water would be more accurate with Busch qualifying as a beer that smells the same way going in as it does coming out.

Open source beer sounds like a great idea. I have heard that making decent lager at home is far harder than ale.